Overview

A profound meditation on hip hop's transformative power, In the Hour of Chaos takes us deep into the mind of the genre's most unabashed revolutionary. This book is not an autobiography. It's not a manifesto. It's a razor-sharp investigation into hip hop and rap music by searing lyricist and global music icon Chuck D of Public Enemy. Engaging with some of the world's leading thinkers on hip hop, ""Professor Chuck"" sets out on a journey that celebrates fifty years of hip hop and charts paths forward for its future. Exploring the intersections of hip hop with Black radicalism and feminism, media and technology, and globalization and politics, this curated collection shows the power of culture and the arts not only to bring people together but to bring about political change in this current hour of chaos.

Full Product Details

Author:   Chuck D ,  Chuck D
Publisher:   University of California Press
Imprint:   University of California Press
Volume:   6
ISBN:  

9780520427389

ISBN 10:   0520427386
Pages:   352
Publication Date:   10 February 2026
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Awaiting stock  
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Table of Contents

Contents Illustration inserts are placed after page 148. Preface Introduction: Living in the Hour of Chaos Chuck D 1. Fear of a Black Planet: Black Geography, (Im)migration, and Sound Chuck D, H. Samy Alim, and Robin D. G. Kelley 2. Welcome to the Terrordome: History, Context, and the (R)evolution of Hip Hop Chuck D and Jeff Chang 3. Don’t Believe the Hype: Technology, Media, and the Importance of Community Chuck D and Davey D 4. Gotta Give the Peeps What They Need: Hip Hop and Funk Chuck D and Scot Brown 5. Revolutionary Generation: Women, Gender, and Sexuality in Hip Hop Chuck D and Cheryl L. Keyes 6. World Tour Sessions: Global Hip Hop Culture Chuck D, Samuel Lamontagne, Mikko Kapanen, Amkelwa Mbekeni, and H. Samy Alim 7. Prophets of Rage: Hip Hop and the Futures of Black Radicalism Chuck D and Gaye Theresa Johnson 8. Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos: Hip Hop, Justice, and the Prison Industrial Complex Chuck D, Bryonn Bain, and Maya Jupiter 9. Harder Than You Think: The Poetics of Hip Hop Chuck D and Adam Bradley 10. Show ’Em Whatcha Got: Hip Hop and the Visual Arts Chuck D and Joan Morgan Bibliography Index Praise for Chuck D

Reviews

""[Chuck D is] neither snootily professorial nor just an OG unspooling war stories. Rather, he’s a thoughtful interlocutor . . . .  a valuable chronicle of the genre’s role in troubled times—and how the times have always been troubled. Smart and chatty hip-hop history."" * Kirkus Reviews *

Author Information

Chuck D is the Grammy-winning leader of the hip hop group Public Enemy. A rapper, lyricist, producer, visual artist, and author, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. In 2022, he was the UCLA Hip Hop Initiative’s Inaugural Artist-in-Residence and currently serves on its National Advisory Board.

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